Chelsea target Josko Gvardiol has revealed that he didn’t think twice about staying at RB Leipzig this summer, but remained coy on his January future amid interest from the Blues.
It was thought that Chelsea were in the final stages of a 90m euro deal to bring the Croatian centre-back to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023, only for Gvardiol to pen a contract extension in Germany instead, keeping him at the club ostensibly until 2027.
This followed interest from Manchester City and Tottenham too, both of whom are likely to be keen on joining the Blues in any race for the centre-back in the future.
Stuttgart, Germany. 07th Aug, 2022. Soccer: Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart – RB Leipzig, Matchday 1, Mercedes-Benz Arena. Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol gesticulates. Credit: Tom Weller/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fu 2JN2FK2 Stuttgart, Germany. 07th Aug, 2022. Soccer: Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart – RB Leipzig, Matchday 1, Mercedes-Benz Arena. Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol gesticulates. Credit: Tom Weller/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche FuBball Liga and the DFB Deutscher FuBball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequence pictures and/or video-like photo series./dpa/Alamy Live News (Alamy Stock Photo)
And, speaking ahead of his National Team clashes with Denmark and Austria, the 21 year old centre-back has revealed that leaving the club this summer did not really cross his mind despite the prolonged interest.
“I didn’t think too much about that negotiation. It’s only my second year, I’ve to learn – I’m happy in Leipzig”, he explained.
However, the youngster has fanned the flames of speculation surrounding a move in January, by refusing to close the door on any potential departure from the club despite his new contract.
The RB Leipzig stance is that the Croatian starlet is not for sale, with CEO Oliver Mislintat recently claiming ‘Josko still has a contract with us until 2026. We assume that he will not only play with us this season, but also next season as well.’
Now, with his contract extended by a further year and no release clause included, any potential price-tag is only likely to continue to rise.
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